


A Bright Spot

by ariya167



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Ficlet, endgame mailee, mentioned maiko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 18:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12393615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariya167/pseuds/ariya167
Summary: A look at Mai and Ty Lee's relationship.





	A Bright Spot

When Mai first meets Ty Lee, she thinks that nothing could crush this girl’s spirits. She is boundless, and nothing can bring her crashing back to earth. Then they meet Azula and Ty Lee transforms from the only bright spot in Mai’s life to Azula’s cheerleader, only ever speaking to flatter the Princess. It breaks Mai’s heart, and not just because she can’t bear to see the bubbly, energetic girl reduced to the sidelines. It’s because, deep in her heart, she fears that Ty Lee is acting like that because she loves Azula more than Mai, and that is a truth she could not bear. But her feelings hurt too much to acknowledge, so she throws herself into liking Zuko. 

When their friendship falls apart and Ty Lee leaves to join the circus, Mai tries to convince herself she’s happier alone. But she retreats into herself, cuts herself off from every small feeling until she can’t remember what it felt like to care for Ty Lee. 

Mai is safe until her family moves to Omashu and Azula finds her. A small elite team, the Princess says, and Mai knows she has to accept. And if there’s another reason, a kind, joyful reason, she can’t think about that right now. She has to capture Zuko and Iroh, and before long she has to take over Ba Sing Se and kill the Avatar. Somehow, her feelings don’t seem that important in light of her new goals. 

She returns to the Fire Nation and finally gets to be with Zuko. It’s her dream, except he’s angry and unresponsive, and her thoughts are filled with another girl. They kiss and every part of it feels wrong, but Mai pushes herself through it, hoping that afterwards she’ll love him. She’s read that the definition of insanity is attempting the same thing over and over and expecting different results, but that’s not what her relationship feels like. It feels like a failed escape. When he runs away, leaving her with only a note, she’s heartbroken, but almost relieved.

Mai is safe until the Boiling Rock when she realizes that no matter what her feelings about Zuko are, she can’t bear to see Azula hurt him. Deep inside, she even wants the Avatar and his friends to succeed. 

She tells Azula that she loves Zuko more than she fears her, and is prepared to carry it out, to fight Azula and to kill her. Mai never thought that Ty Lee would save her, that she would risk her life with those two swift strikes. She’s frozen in place, shocked and happy and afraid, but all too soon they are surrounded by guards. Ty Lee is holding her, and that shouldn’t be sending little thrills throughout her body, but before she can tamp them down, they’re separated. Azula tells the guards to put them where she never has to see them again, and for the guards that means solitary. Mai is alone for weeks with nothing to do but think, and by the time she’s released, all she knows is that Zuko never tried to rescue her, but she still cares for him, and that the only person in this world she truly loves is Ty Lee.


End file.
